Famous Bottom Pickers

As stocks struggle through the early part of the year, many analysts think the March 17 demise of Bear signals the turning point in the bear market. The Dow closes at 11,972 and a subsequent CNBC.com poll finds more than one-third of respondents embracing the "Bear Stearns bottom."

On June 20, Merrill Lynch analyst Ed Najarian says bank stocks are in "capitulation mode" suggesting that a full-scale selloff was in the works, well before the worst of the carnage in financials. The Dow closes at 11,842.

July 8 sees market strategist Byron Wien say the market is in the process of bottoming and will be stronger by year's end. The Dow is at 11,225, a number that looks staggering now. A week previous, CNBC.com asks readers in a poll whether the Dow will finish the year at 10,000, 12,000 or 14,000.

On Sept. 23, eight days after Lehman's fall, BlackRock's Bob Doll says the worst may be over for the market and signs of capitulation are appearing. The Dow is at 11,015.

On Oct. 10, Art Hogan of Jefferies calls the renowned "Hogan Bottom" on CNBC. The Dow closes at 8,451 following a stunningly volatile day of trading. See the video on the next page of Hogan's original call of the market bottom.

On Nov. 11 Doll says the "market is going to take time to make a bottom. It's going to be over a period of months." The Dow teeters at 8,854 and is just four days away from making a temporary bottom that lasts until Feb. 19.